We present a new microrobotic system for a crystallographic task
called protein crystal mounting, which is the transfer of a crystal
from its growth solution onto a tool designed to hold it for X-ray
data collection.  The system operates autonomously using feedback from
a camera looking at the workspace through a microscope.  Visual
tracking is employed to monitor the location of the selected crystal
and control a range of actuators for successful extraction.  The task
is performed in two stages: First, the crystal is taken from its drop
into a pipette and is transported into a cryoprotecting
liquid. Second, while in the cryoprotector, it is transferred from the
pipette onto a tool to be used for data collection.  Key features of
this approach are the increased robustness of the system and the
avoidance of the damaging effect of direct exposure of the crystal to
room conditions.  This work is part of a larger effort we have
directed at the automation of the high-throughput crystallographic
pipeline.